


A Rose and A Plum

by GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-11 06:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3317786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms/pseuds/GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>England is at war and Belle is stuck back home trying to stay positive while her husband is off fighting. Set during WWI.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hospital

“Where are the clean bandages?!?” Belle shouted to one of the other nurses. Startled, one of the youngest, Ashley, straightened up and looked over at Belle as if she had just seen a ghost.

“I-I’m sorry, mi lady. I forgot to restock them this morning.” Ashley stuttered.

Belle sighed heavily as she tried to stop the bleeding with the dirty bandage and her own two hands. “Well, there is no use just standing there. Go and get them right now!” 

“Yes, mi lady!” The girl ran out of the room and Belle turned back to her patient. The man had a deep cut up his leg and was nowhere near stopping bleeding. “Damn.” Belle muttered under her breath.

“Ashley!” Belle shouted once again as the girl reappeared with the clean bandages. She set them down and Belle started packing the wound. “Get me the brown bag with the crushed up mushroom stems I collected the other day.” Belle ordered.

Seconds later the bag was being thrust in front of Belle’s face. She snatched the bag and motioned for Ashley to replace where her hands had been on the man’s leg. She checked the contents to make sure Ashley had picked up the right one then turned to her. “Alright, on my count, I need you to remove the bandages in Mr. Carson’s leg then I will sprinkle some of this on his wound and then promptly start packing the wound once again with clean bandages. Do you understand, Ashley?”

“I understand.” Ashley nodded.

“Alright,” Belle focused her gaze on the wound and readied the bag. “One, two, three!” With lightning speed, Ashley followed her orders and Belle applied a heavy dose of the ground up mushroom stems to the wound.

The bleeding reduced to only a small trickle right away, to Belle’s relief. Ashley covered the wound back up and stepped back so Belle could get a closer look. 

“Luckily, the wound didn’t go deep enough to cut any arteries but he will need a lot of stitches. I’m sure you can finish up Ashley.” The young woman smiled brightly at Belle and went off to fetch her supplies. 

For the first time in days the hospital wing was quiet except for the occasional cough or sneeze. A chair sat in the corner of the room which Belle was happy to sit on after standing for hours. She could feel the stiffness in the bottoms of her feet and the small ache at her back, but despite how uncomfortable it was; it was also what reminded her that she was still alive. 

In those moments that she had to herself, she often thought of her husband who was only a channel away, fighting for his country. It was on rainy days like the one today that made her wish her husband were there. Her hand rested on her stomach and caressed the small lump that was starting to form. “Don’t worry, I’m sure this will all be over by the time you are born, my little plum.”

Ashley reentered the room ready to stitch up Mr. Carson but stopped momentarily once she saw just how sad Belle looked despite the strong mask she put on. “Are you alright, mi lady? I know it can’t be easy with the pregnancy and all.”

Belle continued to stare out the window as she mumbled something in reply. Ashley only picked up on the “yes” and decided to not press any further, not knowing what Belle really said.

“I wish I could say yes.”


	2. Hills

There were never days off during the war at the hospital but at the head nurses insistence, Belle was required to take one or two days off a week to take care of herself. Though Belle was only a volunteer, many of the nurses considered her to be one of them which made it more difficult for Belle to take time off. They had become like a second family to her. 

Her day's off didn't take her too far away from the world of medicine. Any free time she had was spent in the library learning about natural medicine and wound treatment. When the library became too stuffy, she was often seen off in the hills looking for plants that she had read about. Ruby, one of her servants, often accompanied her, especially since Belle announced that she was expecting.

“Belle,” Ruby started as she trampled through the mud to her displeasure. “there is really no need for you to go out right after it has just rained.”

Belle turned to look back at her companion and chuckled at the current state of her. She was already breathing heavily and the front and back of her skirt was covered in spots of mud. “You know you didn’t have to come with me. I am perfectly capable of taking a walk by myself.” Belle replied.

“You call this a walk?”

“Yes now please keep up. I read that plants are best right after rain for picking.”

“I don’t know if you should trust those books you read. They were probably written by an old woman who was later burned at the stake for being a witch.”

“Perhaps but I don’t think I am in any danger of being accused of being a witch in this day and age.”

“Don’t be too sure about that.” Ruby laughed as Belle gave her friend a light slap on the arm.

The rest of the afternoon was a success for Belle, having filled her basket with various plants, and even Ruby seemed to enjoy the outing once she spotted the man she had been eyeing for over a year.

“I don’t see why you don’t go up and talk to him. Usually you are so brave in your pursuits.” Belle remarked.

“He isn’t like any other man I have met. I want to do things properly. Besides, I remember when the lord was first courting you. You hardly spoke to him in the first few months and he thought you were completely lost to him.”

Belle thought back to her and Robert’s courtship and chuckled at how ridiculous it had been in hindsight. “Yes well I had to fight to get his attention again once he stopped showing up at my doorstep every day. I nearly lost the love of my life because I was too shy to speak my feelings.”

“Please, he was the happiest man alive when you showed up at the house unannounced and asked him to join you for tea.”

“I don’t see why. My family had no money and my mother was about ready to throw in the towel because I was getting old.”

“Well he certainly isn’t the youngest man alive either.”

“True, but after the garden party at Melbourne, he was the only person I ever wanted to be with.” Belle was lost in her own world remembering the warm, sunny day and how handsome Robert had looked in his dark blue suit. Ruby snapped her fingers in front of Belle’s face and she came back to the grassy hills.

“I hate how both of you have the same look whenever you talk about each other. Why can’t a man love me like that?” Ruby slumped her shoulders and pouted like a small dog which made Belle laugh at her sad servant.

Belle placed her hands on Ruby’s shoulders and straightened her up so that she could look her straight in the eyes. “I’m sure if you gave Archie a chance then he would love you until the end of time.”

Ruby’s eyes brightened with hope. “You think?”

“Yes, I do. Now I am going to go back to the house so I can take a nice bath and you-“ fixing her gaze on Archie who was now nearly out of sight “-are going to go and have a nice chat with him. I expect a full report when you get back.”

Belle twirled Ruby around in Archie’s direction and gave her butt a nice smack, earning her a glare that turned into a giddy laugh as she rushed down the hill to catch up to Archie.

“Don’t hurt yourself!” Belle called to Ruby. Belle shook her head and started to descend the other side of the hill back to the house. She saw the house in the distance gleaming in the sunlight. Though she called it a house now, he first impression was that it was a castle built for a king. With over forty rooms, the largest library she had ever been in and a huge rose garden, she almost fainted when she realized how much money her future husband had. Now, it was simply home.

The home her child would grow up in and hopefully the one her husband would come home to soon.


	3. The Rain Comes Back

Storm clouds and rain came the next day as Belle had suspected it would. England certainly wasn’t known for its endless sunny days.

Her chauffeur, Graham, happily offered to drive her into the village to start her shift as a volunteer but Belle suspected that kindness wasn’t the entire reason. They arrived promptly at the start of Belle's shift and she didn’t hesitate to amerce herself into her work. Graham had walked in after parking the car and out of the corner of her eye she spotted him leaning against the entrance door while talking to one of the nurses, Emma Swan.

Emma was one of the quieter nurses but from what Belle could gather from her small talks with her, she was a nice girl and was not currently attached to anyone. Graham wasn’t the type to fool around with girls so Belle mentally cheered them on as she continued her work. The conversation between Emma and Graham ended shortly after the Head Nurse, Edith Blue, spotted them and Emma dashed back to her duties. Graham waved goodbye to Belle and told her he would be back at the end of her shift.

Belle had only been off a day and already the patient list had almost entirely changed. She hoped Mr. Carson was alright, having been transferred to a recovery center closer to his home. His leg injury would take at least two months to heal up properly. She doubted that there would be any hesitation in putting him back on the battlefield once he was deemed healthy enough.

For a brief second her mind flashed to a picture of her husband fatally wounded on the battlefield but quickly pushed it away as she attended a patient that needed his wounds to be cleaned. Ashley came and stood by her side through most of the day, learning little things from Belle that she had picked up from her time as a volunteer.

To Belle’s relief nothing major happened during her shift. All the patients seemed on the road to full recovery. It was when patients came in with little hope of surviving that Belle hated her job the most. Wives would be left heartbroken and crying over their husband’s bodies and whenever that happened she couldn’t help switching out the faces of the people with hers and Robert’s.

She never dwelled on the thought too long but she couldn’t help when it happened.

The day grew dark quickly as Belle worked to give comfort and peace of mind to the soldiers and before long Graham was there to escort her back to the house.

The drive home was quiet as the car hummed along on the small gravel roads of the village and out to the country. Belle startled when the car had suddenly stopped at the front doors.

The car door opened. “Welcome back, My Lady.” Graham said as he helped her out of the car.

She took Graham's hand and stepped out of the car, reluctant to enter the house. “Thank you, Graham.”

The front room was brightly lit for her welcome home and she immediately called for Ruby. Moments later she heard the rushed footsteps of the girl and saw her feet appear on the staircase. “Welcome home, Miss. How was your work at the hospital?” Ruby said, breathless from her run to the front room.

 

She handed her coat and hat over to Ruby, not questioning the girls odd behavior, and proceeded into the hallway towards the dining room. “Uneventful, thank god. I am rather hungry, though. Would you trouble Granny to make something for me?”

Ruby smiled at Belle and finally got her breathing in check. “I believe she already had something set aside for you. Let me fetch it for you.” Ruby scurried away as Belle took her seat at the table.

Belle rested her head against her hands and closed her eyes for a moment’s relief. Work was work after all and Belle was starting to feel it everywhere in her body.

Large hands touched her shoulders after a plate of food was set in front of her and she immediately stiffened under the touch. At first she thought it was a stranger or perhaps even Ruby but slowly she started recognizing the way the hands moved against her.

“You are rather tense, dear. I don’t think that is good for the baby.” A voice whispered in her ear. But not just any voice…

She turned her head and launched up from her chair into loving arms. “Robert!”

“Hello, my darling.” Robert said as he squeezed her into a tight embrace and stroked her hair.

Belle started sobbing into the crook of his neck and squeezed him as tightly into her arms as her weak muscles would allow.

She pulled back briefly to kiss him senseless. He received her kisses with as much vigor and they were breathless when they came up for air.

Her happiness quickly turned to anger and she slapped him on the chest. “Why didn’t you come see me right when you got in!”

He smiled widely and pulled her into his arms again to try and calm his pregnant wife. “I wanted to surprise you. I thought you would like it.”

She drew her eyebrows together and whiped away the tear that had formed in her eyes. “No! I hate every second you are away.” She pouted; trying to imitate the way Ruby did it the other day.

“As do I. I worry about you and the baby every day that I am away.” He pulled away from their hug to caress the small lump of her belly.

Belle instantly relaxed under his touch, all emotions of anger quickly draining away as she realized that the man in front of her was actually real and not a dream of hers. She looked down at his hand on her belly and placed her hand on his. “The doctor says she is healthy.”

He raised his eyebrow at her. “She? How do you know?”

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled at him. “A mother's intuition, I suppose.”

“I’ll trust you, then. I’m sure our little plum is hungry though so let’s sit down and eat. I heard from Ruby that you have been working hard.”

Belle nodded in agreement and released Robert from her iron grip so she could turn back around to sit in her chair. He took his own place at the head of the table and everything felt right again.

Dinner went by fast as she chatted away about her volunteer work and plant explorations. She saw he wasn’t ready to talk about the war so she was happy enough to supply the majority of the conversation.

At the end of the meal Belle wanted nothing more than to go to bed and be with her husband. She dismissed the servants for the night and led Robert up the stairs to her- no their- bedroom. Feelings of nervousness filled the pit of her stomach but as she slowly relaxed under the gentle touch of her husband, memories of each time they had been together filled her up and allowed her to fully enjoy what she had for that moment in time.


	4. Mornings

At daybreak Belle expected the warmth of her husband in her arms but found she only groped at the cold sheets of her bed. She immediately shot up, fully awake and ready to believe that yesterday had all been a dream. Her throat started to close up as she looked around the room with no sign of him. Had she really dreamed of his touch so vividly? Or had he already left to go back to war?

Either question felt too hard to answer.

“Robert?” Her voice came out weaker than she had expected causing the word to sound more like a squeak.

“I’m over here, darling.” 

Belle turned and in the shadowed corner near the window sat her husband. He was bent over with his elbows on his knees and his eyes settled on hers with a soft gaze. Belle hadn’t realized how hard her heart had been beating until she started to feel the solid thumps against her chest settle down.

She breathed a sigh of relief. “God, Robert. Why aren’t you in bed?” 

“I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about…things.” His gazed had dropped from hers and went down to the wood floor.

Belle turned back the bed covers and went to stand in front of him. She placed her hand on his cheek and lifted his head so she could see what was going on in his mind. Small lines had formed on his face since she had last seen him six months before. Her fingers ran along the lines as she contemplated how to comfort her troubled husband.

“You know you can talk to me about anything. No matter how horrible it is.” She said as she continued to stroke his face with the light touch of her fingers. His shoulders relaxed from the stiff, upright position that she hadn’t realized they had been in and his hands grabbed onto either side of her waist for support.

She wanted to sooth away the sadness that now showed in his eyes but knew that only he could fix the turmoil that went on in his heart. She could only be his support in his time of need. “I know. I just can’t do it at this moment. Forgive me?”

She started running her hands through his hair and observed the gray strands that had appeared on his head. “There is nothing to forgive. I will be here if and when you are ready to talk about it.”

“Thank you, my dear.” He said and pulled her closer so his head rested against her baby bump. He whispered good morning to their baby and gave her stomach a soft kiss.

A sad smile rose on Belle’s face as she watched her husband. “Robert?”

“Yes, my dear?”

“How long are you going to be home? I assume you must go back since I have heard no news about the war ending.”

The hands that had been resting on her lower back started to make circles against her skin but the comforting gesture didn’t settle how nervous she was becoming by her husband’s silence.

“Three days, I was only sent to take care of some business. I took care of it yesterday once I got here.” He said in a low voice, only loud enough for Belle’s ears to hear.

Three days was too short for Belle but she had to make do with what she had. “Alright, then what shall we do? I will tell Nurse Blue that I won’t be coming in until you leave.”

“You know you don’t have to do that.” Guilt riddled his voice.

She shook her head. “I don’t want to lose a minute with you while you are home. You are going to have a hard time getting rid of me for the next few days.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He smiled broadly and rose to his feet. His lips came down to hers in a soft kiss and he pulled her up into his arms until her feet were hardly touching the floor.

She laughed against his lips as he carried her back towards the bed. “I’m glad to see that you are as eager as I am.”

He gently let go of her and she landed with the bed against her back. She looked up at her husband who still stood at the edge of the bed and watched as his eyes grew darker with desire and his lips curled up into a playful smile. 

A small hum of appreciation escaped his mouth. “Oh, my darling, you don’t even know the half of it.”


	5. Noises

“You and Lord Reeds sounded as if you both were having fun this morning. The servants nearly had to stuff rags in their ears to block the sound out.” Ruby commented as she styled Belle’s hair. Without revealing anything with her expression, Belle simply looked up at Ruby and gave no response as she dabbed on some perfume. Ruby, however, took this as a sign to keep talking. “Did I hear someone call for surrender at one point?”

Belle’s mouth fell open in astonishment at Ruby’s boldness and slapped the glass bottle of perfume down on the table. “You heard that?” Belle said as her face turned red in embarrassment.

“I think all of England heard you.” Ruby giggled. When Belle still couldn’t find any words Ruby laughed even harder and patted her on the shoulder. “There is no need to be ashamed. You are married after all. I only hope I can be treated just as well when I get married.”

“So, I assume that things went well with Archie? You never did tell me what happened.” 

Ruby put the final touches on Belle’s hair, placing her favorite pin, a gift from Robert, into her hair. Ruby stepped back to admire her work. “There we go; I think this is my best job yet.” 

“Ruby…” Belle pressed.

Ruby threw up her hands in surrender and smiled. “Alright, alright. We are going to go to the park to have a picnic on my next day off.”

“And Granny approves of this?” Belle knew just how protective Ruby’s grandmother was of her. She was a nice woman but there were no words to describe how scary she could become when she was crossed.

Ruby sighed. “Not exactly… She is making Margret go with us and she wanted to bring David along as well so it turned into a group date of sorts.” 

“Well that might not be so bad. Just because you are going together doesn’t mean you have to stick to each other. Take two blankets so that way you and Archie can have your own space and Margret and David can have theirs.”

The woman nodded her head in agreement. “That’s not such a bad idea. Maybe if Margret has some time alone with David then they can finally start to plan their wedding. Two years is such a long engagement.”

“I think with the war going on it is rather hard for them to think about anything else.” Two years was certainly long for an engagement. But, almost three and a half years of a pointless war seemed even longer.

A long silence filled the room before Ruby got up enough courage to ask the next question. “Have you asked him how it is going over there?”

Belle looked down, adjusting her bracelet so her hands had something to do. “No, I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about it and I won’t push him.”

Ruby nodded. “Well, I am done so I should be getting back to the kitchen to see if Granny needs any help. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.”

“Thank you, Ruby.” 

 

Robert had gone into the library after their morning in bed together to read the mail he had received while he was away. There was no point in reading about business affairs in a dark and damp trench, after all. Belle always directed those letters to be set on Robert’s desk until he could read them.

At one point, Robert had offered to let her handle the estate while he went away but she refused to have any part in it. She had little knowledge on how to run the estate and she wanted to keep it that way. Having Robert away at war was already stressful enough without having to worry about money. 

Belle found him sitting at his desk, as she suspected she would. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she leaned down to kiss him on the cheek and peer at the letter Robert was reading so intently. 

“I hope it has all been good news since you have been away.” Belle said.

“We aren’t losing any money so that is always good news.” Robert put the letter down and turned in his chair to face her. “I assume you have come to take me away from my work.”

“Isn’t that what all good wives do?”

“No, most wives leave their husbands alone so they can earn money to fund their endless shopping.”

“Well I can just go entertain myself if that is what you really want.” Belle started walking away, lowering her shoulders and dragging her feet against the soft carpet. Her husband laughed at her dramatic act and pulled her back before she had gotten too far.

“You have never been like most wives and I won’t have you starting now. I love you just as you are.”

She felt a wave of joy each time he told her that he loved her and yet she didn’t always believe that she could have ever been so lucky. “Really?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t love you.”

Belle kissed him on the lips but pulled away as a thought occurred to her. “So, are you saying that I am not normal?”

“Darling, you must be a little odd if you wanted to marry me.”

“Well good, that just means that I get you all to myself while all the other woman in the world wonder what they are missing.” She grabbed her husband’s hand and started dragging him out of the library. “Now come spend some time with me then you can get back to making money.”


	6. A Lake

“Darling, I’m not so sure this is a good idea. Someone could see us.”

Belle laughed as she continued to take off her clothes and set them on a rock next the lake. “No one ever comes out here, Robert. I only found it one day because I had gotten lost on one of my walks.”

Robert rubbed his hand against his chin and looked around for any hint of a person. “I don’t know why I listen to you.” He said to himself as he started to take off his own clothes. He walked over to Belle and she helped him having already taken off all her clothes.

In the sunlight, Robert could clearly see the outline of her baby bump and he couldn’t help staring at the beautiful sight. Belle didn’t notice as she concentrated on unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it off his arms. She ran her hands down his bare chest and over his stomach until she reached the buttons of his pants. Robert leaned down and kissed Belle despite her efforts to try and concentrate on her task. She kissed him back and closed her eyes; feeling for the buttons and undoing each one.

Belle finally succeeded and his pants fell down his legs. He tossed them on top of where her clothes were and waited for her to continue undressing him.

However, when she didn’t resume he looked down at her smiling face and she gazed at him. “I think you can handle the rest.” She said and ran her hand down his arm as she walked towards the shore of the lake.

The water lapped at Belle’s feet as she stopped to get used to the temperature. The water was cool but nowhere near freezing. The water had warmed up considerably over the summer months compared to when she had first went there in the late spring. The first time she had done this the water was too cold to go in any further than her ankles. 

Finally accustomed to the temperature, Belle walked further in until she was deep enough to fully submerge herself. She came up and turned around to see Robert half way in with his eyes fully on her.

“I hope you don’t just plan on standing there all day. I am getting lonely over here.” Belle called.

With a smirk, Robert dived into the water and started swimming towards Belle like a shark on the hunt. Belle yelped and started swimming away from him. Laughing made the task harder as water splashed into her mouth and made it hard for her to concentrate on moving her arms and legs fast enough. Robert caught up to her within a matter of seconds; pulling her against his back and nuzzling his head into her neck and making noises that resembled an animal that was devouring its prey.

“Robert! Stop it!” Belle laughed.

He lifted his head from her neck and their eyes met. He started laughing with her as they floated with the waves of the water. Robert laid back into the water; pulling Belle along in the process and started to slowly move one arm so that they made their way back to shore. The sky looked bluer than it had been before. She always felt that anything around her was more beautiful when Robert was around. She figured this is what things should be like when you were around the person you loved with all your heart. She certainly wouldn’t want it any other way.

Seeing that he was only about 10 feet from the shore, Robert touched his feet down to the lake floor. Belle turned around so that she could stand facing him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up until her lips were able to reach his. Robert’s hand came up to stroke smooth patterns against her back while the other helped her legs wrap around his waist. 

Belle couldn’t tell if it was from the excitement of being out in the open or because they had so little time but she knew that she need, no wanted her husband to be in her right at that moment.

She could feel his growing need between them and pulled her lips away from his. “Robert…” She breathed. He rested his forehead against hers.

“Are you sure you want to? I don’t want you to tire yourself out.” Though his concerns were valid, Belle had never felt better in her life. She only had so much time with him until he went back and she wouldn’t waste one bit of it. She could recover after he left.

“I don’t know if it is possible to get tired of this.” 

“You are going to spoil me. What will I do once I have to go back?”

She placed a finger over his mouth to silence him. “Let’s not think about that.” She shook her head. He nodded in response, not too eager to think about the future either.

Minutes later, as Belle came down from her climax; she stayed tightly woven around Robert and pressing kisses against his neck. He made no move either to end the moment they had just had and hung his head on her shoulder. He pressed her harder into him, making it hard for her to breathe. She didn’t say anything knowing that this is what he needed from her. 

His body began to shake and she realized he was crying when the hot tears escaped onto her skin. She turned his face so that he could rest more comfortably against her. She said nothing as he cried and only stroked his hair to comfort him as she waited for him to release everything he had been holding inside.

The shaking finally subsided and she felt him take a few deep breaths before coming up to look at her. His eyes were red and the sadness still lingered. She wiped away the tears from under his eyes with her thumb. No words came out of her mouth as she smoothed back his ruffled hair and stroked his face to reassure him.

He finally sniffed his nose and gave a breathy laugh. “I’m sorry; I don’t know what got into me.”

“No.” She turned his head so she was able to look straight into his eyes. “You never have to apologize for allowing yourself to open up in front of me.”

“Thank you, Belle.” He smiled but didn’t go on to explain the suddenness of his emotions. 

She bit her lip and decided she would have to be the one to ask. “What were you thinking about?”

He hesitated. “I was just thinking about all the men that have died while I have been over there and I suddenly thought about what if I die when I go back and what if I never get to see your eyes or hear your voice ever again.” He started to choke up again but pulled himself together and stroked her cheek. “All of that just felt like too much for me to bear.”

“Oh, Robert…” A thought occurred to her. “How about we make a deal then?”

His eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What kind of deal?”

“You return home safe and alive at the end of this silly war and I promise to give you my first born.”

He laughed fully this time. “I see you have been reading fairy tales again.”

“Do we have a deal or not?” She asked sternly. 

He nodded seeing that he would have to give into his wife’s demands or face the consequences. “Yes, I promise to return home safe.”

“Remember, you can’t take it back.”

“I never go back on a deal, especially not one with you.”


End file.
